Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 4: Air
by tweetyberd
Summary: Another 'after war' story : Basically different plots for every character. Kataang, Maiko, Sukka, Teoph, and some Tokka hints
1. Chapter 1

**Avatar: The Last Airbender **

** Book 4 ~ Air**

Chapter 1

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"Come on Aang, it's a great idea and you know it! And plus, maybe you'll finally find a girlfriend!" Sokka encouraged, oblivious to Katara and Aang's relationship.

Aang stood there, awkwardly. He wished he could tell Sokka. But every time he tried, the words didn't come out right, or he would end up changing the subject. For some reason he couldn't tell the truth about the growing relationship between him and Katara.

"UhhhhI'm not ready for a girlfriend...."Aang mumbled a lie,"Girls are icky." He added childishly. Aang almost laughed at the thought of still believing in _cooties. _He bit his lip to contain himself.

Sokka rolled his eyes,"Whatever, but you're coming right?" He asked, folding his arms and bending forward so his face was mere inches apart from Aang's. Aang blinked, too afraid to answer negatively.

"Erm.. Sure! But, what about Zuko?" Aang asked. A part of him knew Zuko would immediately shut down the idea of sneaking into a party, but he also knew Sokka wouldn't give up until he complies.

"Well of course Zuko's coming! With him being the Fire Lord, he _needs _to break away from all of that work and pressure every once and a while. And besides, when was the last time the three of us went out and did something incredibly stupid and time-wasting?" Sokka asked, backing up his idea.

Aang shook his head,"Try, two weeks ago..? Remember? When we told that ghost story to Suki's party and then scared them right before they fell aslee-"

"Yeah but that was, like, two weeks ago! Teenagers are suppose to be stupid and not think twice about anything they do." Sokka continued, making his way out of the guest chambers. Aang followed with a sigh, which showed Sokka he'd at least follow through with his plan. They were soon greeted by servants offering luxurious unnecessities. Aang politely waved them off, and the two hurried to the Fire Lord's chamber.

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Zuko stared out the window, watching the sun dip its way into nothingness. The sky above it seemed to melt away as the tip of the sun disappeared. Zuko sighed as he felt the fire within himself decipitate. He lifted himself away from the window sill and took a seat in front of the couch, below Mai. She ran her fingers through her hair, and dragged away her hair pins with it. Her hair sprawled out onto her shoulders, and framed nicely around her face.

"You need rest." Mai complained sincerely, running her fingers through her hair. Zuko breathed a small chuckle and shook his head. Being Fire Lord, there was no such thing as rest.

"What's funny?" She asked in her _I-could-really-care-less-about-what-you-are-going-to-say _voice. Zuko smiled.

"You said rest." He stated, and leaned his head back in-between her legs, lying peacefully in her lap. She pulled back and set both feet on either sides of his shoulders.

"Maybe that's because you haven't had a good night sleep in months. Those bags under your eyes are never going to go away if you keep this up." Mai explained, leaning her head up so she was facing the ceiling. The position they were in made Zuko feel abnormally warm. He shook it off.

"I'm not tired, Mai. Really, once I finish this thing with the Earth King, we'll have all the free time we want." Zuko said. 'Thing' was a huge understatement. He was signing a permanent peace treaty, not just with the Earth Nation, but with every nation. The reason it was so huge with the Earth Kingdom was because most of the damage was there. Ba Sing Se, not to mention one of the largest cities in the world, was nearly torn apart. Zuko silently groaned at the thought of how much money it would cost to repair that city alone, and ran his fingers through his hair. He bit his lip to contain another groan as Mai ran her toes down his spine.

"If you weren't tired you wouldn't be dozing off every minute and have circles under your eyes that almost touch your chin." Mai argued. Zuko ignored her. If he was to fight with anyone, it wouldn't be Mai. He knew, even if she acted as if she didn't care, that the only reason they were still having this conversation was because she loved him. He smiled at the thought of _Mai _loving someone, loving _him. _He turned around, and held his hand up in surrender.

"Alright, alright. You win. I'll sleep." Zuko said with a smile, and kissed her forehead before lying down on the large bed behind them. _Of course she wins, she always wins. _Zuko laughed to himself. Even if she was wrong, even if what she was saying made no sense at all, she would win. And Zuko was completely fine with that.

As soon as Zuko's back collided against the soft sheets, he was fast asleep. Mai yawned,"I might as well take a nap too..." She trailed off, noticing he was asleep. She smiled and tucked in next to him comfortably. Mai turned onto her back, and stared at the ceiling. She remembered the first time she had worked up the courage to sleep in the same bed with him. How every time she would glance at him he would be blushing fiercely. Mai had almost dozed away, until a loud knock came at the door. Her eyebrows narrowed, and she straddled out of Zuko's bed.

"What?!" She half-yelled, swinging the door open. Her mouth parted slightly when she noticed it was the Avatar and Zuko's water tribe friend.

"Oh.. it's you.. Well, whatever you want with Zuko you can't have, because he's finally sleeping." Mai explained in a harsh whisper.

Sokka groaned, and Aang quietly sighed in relief. Mai just scowled at the two of them.

"Well when he wakes up, tell him to send the servant guard helper people to come get us, because-"

"Ok I will bye!" Mai interrupted, slamming the door in both their faces. Mai groaned as she turned to see Zuko rubbing his eye.

"Who was that?" He asked groggily. She shook her head, and curled in next to him.

"Nobody, just some servants. Go back to sleep." Mai insisted sweetly, and tucked him back in. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her into a sloppy kiss. Her lips collided gently with his at first, than she arubtly pulled away.  
"No, _sleep. _Please, sleep for me." Mai encouraged while tracing the shape of his lips,"We can do that later." She said with a small smirk. Zuko smiled and shut his eyes obediently.

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Katara stared out over the icy seas. Ever so often she would make a small wining, hopeful sound, trying to gain her father's attention. She drew breath to sigh again, but stopped, when she finally caught Hakoda's eyes. She groaned and slumped her head into her folded arms. Hakoda shook his head.

"What is it Katara? At first you sounded happy to be coming back home." Hakoda said, taking a seat next to her on the edge of the boat. She quickly lifted her head up.

"Well I am it's just... It's just I miss my _other _family. I'm so used to everybody being around me, and.. it's, I don't know.. sudden?" Katara figured that was the right word. It was sudden. One day she's out with her friends sitting around a camp fire, and the next she's in the middle of the ocean heading towards the South Pole all alone.

"Ah," Hakoda murmured,"I know you miss them, but you will be going back soon, Katara. And do you know how happy your grandmother will be when she sees you again? She has no idea you're even coming!" He exclaimed. She sighed,"I know. But I still miss them..." Who she missed most was Aang. She knew this would happen. Even though the war is over, he's still incredibly busy. She'd be lucky to see him even if she weren't half way around the world.

"I miss Aang." Katara immediately regretted the words. She hadn't explained to her father about 'them' yet. Hakoda nodded, completely oblivious. He figured it was because of how close the two had become.

"Sir, we're going to pull in right here if that's alright with you." One of the tribe's older captains stated. Hakoda patted Katara's head and went back to steer the ship into the dock. Katara could already smell the scent of leopard seal jerky. _Home. _She could also see some of the children from the village playing tag. Katara noted how older they were looking, despite it had barely only been two years. A few moments later, and Hakoda was behind her again, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Katara, before we start unpacking our things... I have to introduce you to somebody." Hakoda explained, the tone of his voice quieting. Katara struggled to hear him.

"Who is it?" She asked. He led her by the hand off ship, and they were soon greeted by old friends, and a new face. "Dad, who's..." Katara trailed off, waiting for an exclamation.

The woman before her gasped in pleasure,"This must be Katara! You're so much cuter than I imagined you were!" She exclaimed.

Katara blinked,"Errmm... Thanks..?" She wasn't sure if that was suppose to be a compliment. "So, who are..."

"Oh, excuse me for not introducing myself," She stopped to laugh hastily,"My name is Ishiko. Hakoda, dear, did you not tell this beautiful little girl about us?" Ishiko asked in a giggly voice.

"Oh, it must have slipped my mind." Hakoda stuttered nervously.

"Dad..?" Katara shot him a confused look. Not that she was confused about who she was, but why she was even here. Why would her father even _want _anybody except her mother?

"I wanted you to meet her because, well, we fell in love with each other, and we are talking about marriage..." Hakoda trailed, reading Katara's every move. Katara just shook her head, and trudged to her grandmother's tent.

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Toph sprawled out into a giant hay stack, and sunk in as far as she could. Earlier, she had gotten a letter from her parents. Suki had told her that the letter was asking if Toph wanted to attend to private school. Toph's answer was no. Just _no. _There was no point even going, she couldn't read, she couldn't write, she couldn't even see for goodness sake. She groaned and buried her face into Momo's side. He chirped and blinked at her, then flew next to Appa when she was finished. She turned onto her side, so she was facing the furry beast.

"Appa, why are my parents such idiotic morons? Why can't they be like you? All you guys do is eat and sleep and fly us places. Parents yell at everything you do and make you go to horrid places like _school. _" She shuddered at the word.

"Why can't Zuko change the law for me? Why can't the law be ' you can choose to stay with your parents as soon as you're born'." Toph asked them annoyed, throwing her hands into the air for emphasis. She sighed and buried her face into the hay stack, letting the needles prick deep into her skin. She didn't care.

"Toph?"

She jolted from the hay to feel who the intruder was, and slumped back down when she realized it was just Sokka.

"It's just me..." He whispered. She nodded,"I know."

Sokka scratched his head,"What are you going to tell your parents?"

Toph thought about that for a minute. "No. Just straight out _no._" She threw an arm over her face. He smiled.

"Well, tomorrow, do you want to go get something to eat? Just the two of us?" He asked hopefully.

She removed her arm to reveal a confused look.

"Um.. Ok..?" It ended as if she had asked a question.

"Not like a date.. That would be weird.. But you know, like the good old days? And after maybe we can go play one of those shell games." Sokka sputtered, and laughed at the memory of those crazy scams they got into.

"Whatever." Toph agreed, and lifted herself from the hay stack. She stretched her hands above her head, and groaned a yawn.

"What times is it?" She asked.

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck,"Around.. eight, I think.."

She shook her head,"Man, I'm gettin' old."

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And again, there was a knock at the door. Mai hurled herself from the bed, now furious. How many times does she have to yell 'QUIET ZUKO IS TRYING TO SLEEP YOU'LL WAKE HIM!!!' She flew the door open, and crossed her arms angrily at the short petrified servant.

"I'm sorry to bother you, m-miss, but this news is important for the Fire Lord." He explained nervously.

"Can't you just tell him late-"

"What is it?" Zuko interrupted, gently moving her out of the way. She scowled at him.

"The counsel has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow, at 9 A.M. sir." The servant stated, and bowed politely before escaping.

Mai groaned,"Why is it so early?" She complained, shoving him back in the direction of the bed.

"I don't know, it must be important.. I wonder-"

"Don't wonder, just sleep. Now that you have to get up so early." Mai cut him off, and tucked him back in bed.

He sighed,"I know you're upset that things are like this right now.. But we're trying to heal a world that's been at war for a hundred years. It's not going to be easy."

"I know." Mai surrendered with a sigh. "We never get to spend that much time with each other anymore." She sighed.

"Yes we do." He comforted in a worried whisper. "Like right now we're together."

"Yeah, at night time when they _have _to let you go." She complained. "I miss when you were a prince who didn't have to do anything and all we ever did was cuddle and eat fruit tarts." Mai blushed, embarrassed of how stupid and childish that just sounded.

He chuckled and shook his head. "We can still cuddle and eat fruit tarts." Zuko defended with a smirk.

"Not as much as we used to." She shot back, smiling now.

"We can cuddle as much as you want to." Zuko said, closing the small space between them. Mai giggled and wrapped her legs around his. He smirked and rolled them over, so he was hovering on top of her. He gently but passionately pressed his lips against hers. Their tongues danced playfully in each other's mouth. They wanted to stay like this forever, but eventually had to break away for air. Zuko waited impatiently for her to catch her breath, he wanted to kiss her again. Though, he didn't want things to get too heated. They both needed a good nights rest. He began sucking on her lower lip, his hands soaring freely around her thighs. Soft moans escaped both of their lips as they began to feel the warmth taking over. He released her then, and rolled them back onto their sides.

Zuko smiled at her, and twirled a strand of her hair. "I love you." He murmured. Mai felt tingles of sensation shoot up her arms. "I love you." She whispered.

They were quiet for a moment, until Zuko couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Marry me." He whispered softly. Mai's eyes sprung open, and she stared at him. She loved him, she knew she did. But marriage? Was she ready? He was the only mans he would ever want to be with, and they were both now of marrying age. She swallowed.

"I don't know I mean, what if something happens or.. I don't know, I love you but-"

"If you love me, then nothing else matters." Zuko interrupted a small voice. Mai felt a small smile take shape onto her lips, and she nodded.

"Ok." She said in a small voice. Zuko smiled widely and wrapped his arms around her, as far as they would go.

"I'm so glad you said yes." Zuko shouted in an excited whisper. The sound was muffled by her hair.

"Me too." Mai whispered, and kissed his cheek.

Zuko excitedly sprung from bed, and went to his desk. She groaned,"Don't tell me you're going to start working already."

He shook his head,"No, I'm writing a letter for Iroh, telling him we are getting married." Zuko's head was spinning, this was all happening so quickly. He loved her more than anything, and that was all that mattered.

"Tomorrow, we'll tell everyone." He exclaimed. Mai blinked.

"Tomorrow?" She asked, dazed. "Tomorrow my parents are throwing that stupid party for all of the noble officials, or something like that." Mai waved away the topic.

"That will be perfect, tell them then!" He smiled at her, his eyes wide and hopeful. She couldn't turn him down when he was staring at her like that.

"Alright." Mai gave in, and his smile grew even wider.

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Review!!! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

** Book 4 ~ Air**

Chapter 2

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Aang groggily lifted himself from bed, still rubbing his eyes. He yawned then pursed his lips, waiting for his vision to clear. He slowly started to see the shape of Sokka, smiling evily in front of him. He gasped and sprung backwards, tripping over his feet.

"What are you doing in here?!" Aang shouted, his eye lids still droopy despite the surprise.

"What do you think? I'm here so we can discuss our battle plan." Sokka smirked at the word. He doesn't get to use it so frequently now that the war is over.

Aang groaned and rolled his eyes,"Already?" He flew back against the guest bed.

"Why not already?" Sokka defended.

Aang lifted himself from his bed, and gave him a deep frown.

"Because, it won't even be scary now that it's morning." Aang stated, heading towards the bathroom.

"Sure it will! And all I said was _discuss, _unless, you want to scare them right now." Sokka said, the tones of his last words rising.

Aang turned around, and immediately regretted it. Sokka was giving him his sad, hopeful, puppy dog eyes.

"That doesn't work any more Sokka. I can hardly even see you, it's too early." Aang lied, guarding his eyes.

Sokka whimpered.

"Ugh, fine, maybe later. Just stop doing that it's awkward." Aang gave in, arubtly turning back around. He splashed a handful of water onto his face.

"Yay!" Sokka shouted and clapped, flinging himself against Aang's guest bed. A few moments passed, and the cheerful noises coming from Sokka faded. Aang figured he must have fallen asleep. He rested each hand against the sides of the sink, and stared into the mirror in front of him. He looked into his eyes, and felt completely at ease. Then, something above his mouth caught his eye. He gasped and jolted away from the bathroom, flying against Sokka. Aang shook his shoulders to wake him, and started yelling.

"SOKKA! SOKKA WAKE UP! SOOOOOKKAAAAA! WAAAAKE UUUUUP! SO-"

"I'm up! I was just resting! What's the big deal?!" Sokka interrupted, shoving Aang off of him.

"LOOK!" Aang shouted, and pointed to the single, tiny hair below his nose. "IT'S A MOUSTACHE HAIR! I'M GROWING A MOUSTACHE! AHHH-"

Sokka slammed his hand over Aang's mouth. "Settle down Aang! Let me see," He said, removing his hand cautiously,"Wow." He groaned, and removed the small piece of hair from Aang's face.

"It isn't a moustache hair. It's probably just hair from your head or something." Sokka rolled his eyes and lay back down against the bed. Aang blinked, and his face went blank.

"I'm... not... growing... a .... moustache....?" Aang mumbled in a whisper.

"Nope, sorry champ." Sokka said in a mocking tone, setting his hand on Aang's shoulder.

Aang scowled at him. "How would it be hair from my head if I don't have any hair?" He challenged.

"I don't know! Maybe it was in your bed for some reason! Maybe it was like, armpit hair or something!" Sokka shot at him.

"I don't have any armpit hair!" Aang yelled.

"All I know is, it wasn't a moustache hair." Sokka finished, and turned to on his side. He examined the hair again.

"It looks like... Katara's hair.. But a short version." He trailed, oblivious to Aang's suddenly worried expression.

"Errrmm that's weird...I mean, why would her hair be in my room?... hehe.." Aang hurried to dismiss this conversation, and sighed with relief as soon as Zuko came bursting through the doors.

"GUYS!" Zuko shouted. Sokka jolted, and Aang whirled around.

"What?!" They yelled in unison. "IS IT TROUBLE?" Sokka assumed, taking a fighting stance. Zuko shook his head and waved his hands,"NO! EVEN BETTER!"

Aang gasped,"What could be better than trouble?!" He asked sarcastically, a huge playful smile planted on his face. It was soon replaced by a bored, uncaring expression.

Zuko ignored him. "Last night, Mai and I-"

Sokka interrupted with a loud sniff. He straightened himself up and puffed his chest outward. "Aang, you might want to go to another room for this conversation."

Zuko rolled his eyes,"No! Why would you even- Never mind, what I was _trying_ to say was that last night I asked Mai to marry me!"

Aang sprung his head up,"What did she say?!" Sokka jumped with anticipation.

"She said yes!" Zuko shouted cheerfully, and Sokka trapped him into a bear hug. Despite how much shorter Sokka was than Zuko, he still had the strength to lift him off of the floor. "I'm so proud of you! It seems like only yesterday you were asking me what to talk about on a date with her, and now... now.. NOW YOU'RE MARRYING HER!!" Sokka busted into tears, and Zuko grunted.

"Can you let me down now." He grumbled.

"Oh right.. Sorry." Sokka quickly apologized, and set him back down.

"I don't have a lot of time... There is a meeting again." Zuko explained, turning back towards the door. "Go back to doing what ever you were doing."

"Oh yeah... Hey, don't you think this hair looks like Katar-"

"WE were having a debate on moustache hairs." Aang interrupted, grabbing the hair from Sokka's hands.

Zuko blinked, puzzled by his sudden outburst. He shook it off, remembering he didn't have time to worry about it. "Alright... Well, bye..." He trailed, still confused. They waited until he disappeared.

"What was that about?" Sokka asked, shooting Aang a look.

"What? Nothing. He just said he had to hurry, so I didn't want to waste his time..." Aang blabbed an excuse, and silently sighed when he saw Sokka had bought it.

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Suki stared out of her window, watching the people of the Fire Nation working and playing happily. She let out a deep breath, and buried her face into her pillow. Her entire life, she had been trained to fight. She was a warrior, and has been taught nothing but methods of taking down enemies. And now, the war was over. As soon as she can call herself a warrior, as soon as she was finished with training, and as soon as she was teaching a class on her own, it ends. There's no purpose for her any more, or her training. That drive that used to live within her, the drive that kept her going, was gone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Suki asked. The door creaked open, and revealed Sokka with a small smile.  
"Come in." She invited, sitting cross-legged on top of her bed.

"Thanks... Aang kicked me out for some reason." He said with a small chuckle, taking a seat next to her. The longer he stared at her, the more his smile faded.  
"You ok?" He asked, setting a hand on her cheek.

Suki nodded,"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied with a small shrug. He smiled apologetically, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek affectionately, and rested his head on her shoulder. A couple moments passed, and Suki could feel Sokka's weight pressing into her.

"Erm.. Sokka..?" She whispered. No answer. She chuckled softly as she realized he had fallen asleep.

"You shouldn't get up so early if you're just going to doze off an hour later..." Suki whispered to herself, and set Sokka down onto her pillow.

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"Alright, settle down. The meeting is going to start." One of the higher ranking officials called out, quieting the discussing council.

"Fire Lord Zuko, we've had a vote that involves the people of the Fire Nation, along with you." One of the ministers exclaimed.

Zuko blinked,"I was never informed of a voting."

A general nodded,"We know. The reason you were never informed was because we never thought it would be a big deal. But, it was up to the people of the Fire Nation, and they thought otherwise."

A different general cleared his throat,"The vote was if the people felt safe with out another heir to the throne."

Zuko's face went blank. He knew one of the officials just happened to be Mai's father. Zuko figured it must be the one scowling at him. He swallowed and forced his eyes to look away.

"But... already? The new heir has only begun..." Zuko trailed.

"Yes, and our new Fire Lord has already been through so many life-or-death situations in just a month." Another minister stated. Some of the generals nodded in agreement.

"But now that the war is over-" Zuko tried, but was interrupted.

"The Fire Lord is to protect the people no matter what, and if the people would feel safer with a new heir, than a new heir they shall get." A new general finished, somebody Zuko had never seen before. He figured he must still feel loyal to the previous Fire Lord. Most of the council was loyal to Zuko by now, but a few of them he didn't trust.

Mai's father shot him a look that sent shivers down his spine.

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Toph pounded on Suki's door.

"S'Sokka in there?" She commanded, and tripped when the door flew open.

"Sorry," Suki apologized,"Yeah, he's here. He came in here and fell asleep, but he should be up now.."

He yawned and scratched the small of his back. "Hey Toph.... Oh yeah we were going to go eat!" Sokka exclaimed. Suki propped an eyebrow.

"Yesterday I told Toph we would go get breakfast or something.. so.. Bye, love ya." Sokka explained, and pecked her on the forehead before leading Toph towards the courtyard. "Where do you wanna go?" Sokka asked, speeding out of the garden and into the city.

Toph shrugged,"I don't cared."

Sokka paused,"How about... there!" He pointed towards a breakfast house.

"Ok.." Toph mumbled as Sokka dragged them to the door.

"Table for two." He exclaimed, and started drooling at the smell of bacon.

The waitress smiled and nodded,"You two on a date?" She asked in a childish tone. The girl obviously had no idea who Sokka or Toph were.

Toph blushed. "No!" They both shouted.

The girl chuckled, and seated them on the balcony that overlooked the city. The waitress must have thought they were on a date, and were just to nervous to admit it. Since, the balcony had mandolin players and the view was of the sun rise. Toph sunk deep into her chair. Sokka chuckled,"Guess she didn't take the hint." They were soon greeted by the sound of a tsungi horn. Toph hid her face in her arm. "Could this get any more embarrasing_?" _Toph thought, only to realize she had said it out loud. Sokka laughed,"Probably."

"Would you two like some water?" The waitress asked politely.  
"Sure, unless Toph wants something else..." Sokka waited for her to object, but she shook her head.

"Waters fine..."

The waitress bowed and went back into the kitchen.

"Alright, we got... Bacon... And, waffles...And, toast... And, pancakes... And-"

"I wanna pancake." Toph exclaimed happily. Sokka chuckled,"And I'll have bacon and pancakes." He said with a goofy grin.

"Of course." Toph teased.

"Well, if I'm gonna spend my money, I'm gonna spend it on what I want." He defended playfully. She rolled her eyes.

"Here is your waters." The waitress said, setting two waters on the table. Sokka sent her a smile,"Thanks." The girl blushed,"Uhh.. No problem.." She faked a laugh and took out a piece of paper. Toph groaned to herself when she felt the girl's heart rate quicken.

"What will you be having today?" She asked Sokka nervously.

"I'll have bacon and pancakes, and she'll just have pancakes." He explained quickly, and handed her the menus. "Alight, it'll be just a moment." The girl said and disappeared into the kitchen.

Toph set her face in her hands with a bored expression,"The waitress likes you."

Sokka blinked,"She does?... Wait, how do you know?"

"Because when ever you look at her, her heart beats faster." Toph explained dully.

"Well.... She is pretty..." Sokka moaned, and Toph shot him a look.

"But not as pretty as Suki!" He quickly shot at her.

"Here is your breakfast." The waitress greeted sweetly, and set a plate in front of each of them.

"Thank you, and here." Sokka thanked,and handed her 12 silver pieces. "Kind of expensive, don't you think?" Toph asked, her mouth stuffed with pancake.  
Sokka nodded,"Yeah, does it taste good?"

Toph gave him a thumbs up, and took another bite. Sokka smiled. They were both so hungry, that it only took a few minutes for them to finish.

Sokka leaned back in his chair.

"Thanks for the date." Toph mumbled, taking a sip of water. Sokka sent her a questioning look, then spoke when he realized she couldn't see it.

"Date?" He asked with a smirk. She shook her head,"I mean, not a date, but.. just.. you... You know what I mean!" Toph spat at him, and raised her fist into the air. Sokka shielded his face with his hands,"I was just kidding." He said with a laugh.

"Well, we better get back to the palace.." Sokka started, lifting himself out of his chair. Toph followed,"Yeah.."

They both hurried to the palace. Toph had stayed in front of him the whole way, and never turned back. She couldn't let him see her face.

"Why were you in such a hurry?" Sokka panted, catching his breath from chasing after her.

"I.. ermm.. Had to go to the bathroom.." Toph lied. The real reason was because she hadn't stopped blushing ever since their 'date'.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Book 4 ~ Air**

Chapter 3

________________________

It was almost sun down, and Mai was about to throw up. She was on the verge of a breakdown. How would her parents react, when she tells them she's going to _marry _Zuko? No matter how worried she was, it still made goose bumps shoot up her arms and down her legs when she imagined their wedding. She knew it was stupid and childish, but she already had it all planned out. She would walk down the aisle, strong and proud. But she knew in all reality, she'd be as nervous as heck and probably sweating like crazy. Mai shook her head.

"Just stop thinking about it." Zuko said in a whisper, seeming to read her mind. He smiled,"Your parents will be happy for you..." Happy... Even if that was the perfect word to describe Zuko at the moment, it still felt weird saying it. It's been so long since he'd truly been... happy. Besides when he was with Mai, that is. When ever he was with Mai he was happy. Even if they were fighting, he was happy. Even when he felt like his world was falling apart, she was there. And he was happy.

"I can't stop thinking about it..." Mai groaned, interrupting his thoughts. Zuko pulled them to a stop, and examined her. He couldn't tell if she was as enthusiastic about the wedding as he was, he couldn't even tell if she _wanted_ to get married. If she wasn't ready, he didn't want to force her into it.

"Mai, look at me." He said, pulling her arms around his waist. She dragged her stare from the ground to his face.

"I want you to tell me if you want this... If you want..Me.." Zuko trailed, searching for the right words to say. He was never good with words, and being around the love of his life just made it worse.

Mai was too stunned to react right away, and she could do is blink. The silence made Zuko uneasy.

"When I asked you, I was so excited that you said yes that I wasn't really paying attention to you afterwards and... I couldn't tell if you really..." It looked like he would cry. Mai had never seen Zuko cry. She shook her head again.

"No, Zuko stop. I _do_ want to marry you! I always have... I just.. I mean, when you asked me, I was too stunned to show how excited I was. Because, I never thought that moment would ever happen and-" She froze, realizing how illogical she was sounding. How.. emotional she was sounding. Great, Zuko was rubbing off on her. No, she wouldn't give up her mask just yet.

"So... You're ready?" Zuko asked, excitement was rushing through him again. She nodded, and cupped his chin in her hand. He took advantage of this and pressed his lips against hers. He chuckled against her when he could feel her heart pounding. She mentally kicked herself, and blushed. They've kissed so many times, and Mai still couldn't get over it. It was_ Zuko_. It was just.. embarrassing that she couldn't get used to kissing him, and they've been together for almost a year. It also made Zuko full of himself knowing that Mai couldn't get used to him kissing her.

Zuko pulled away suddenly, and was dragging her again. Mai groaned, and tried to hide her crimson face.

He smiled,"We're almost there." Mai ignored his chanting, and tried to get her mind on something else.... Like how she'd tell her parents...

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Katara stared at the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. Her grandmother read her every move, knowing exactly what she was feeling.

"It's alright Katara, just try to give her a chance."

"I did! For 5 whole seconds! And she... she blew it! She blew every single second I gave her!" She tugged at her hair,"Why would he choose her? She's not even pretty! Mom was much prettier than her! Mom was- she was better in every single way, and he knows it... He must know it!"

Gran Gran folder her arms,"So, that's what this is about..." She took a seat next to Katara,"But Katara, you have to realize that your fathers been very lonely since your mother passed away. You know that Hakoda used to be a completely different man."

Katara sniffed,"I know."

"And maybe, having another woman in his life will help him find himself again. And once he does, he'll realize what a sour puss that girl is." Gran Gran smiled, and Katara giggled. She wiped her eye.

"Just tell him how you feel." Gran Gran continued, and rubbed her back.

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Aang through himself onto his bed, and reached for a piece of paper. He smiled,and rolled onto his stomach. He reached for a pen, and began to write.

_親愛なるKatara_, [ _Dear Katara,]_

* * *

_や__あ。あなたがいなくて寂しいです__ [Hi. I miss you.]_

* * *

Aang groaned and crumpled the paper, then reached for another one.

_親愛なるKatara, __[Dear Katara,]_

* * *

_私はあなたの南極点では良い時間を過ごしてほしい。私はミスすると、多くの。_ _[I hope your having a good time at the South Pole. I Miss you, a lot. ]

* * *

_

_帰国間もなく、是非。 [Come back home soon.]_

* * *

_愛と、Aang [With love, Aang]_

He smiled, then folded the paper into a square, and set it on his night stand. He sighed and rolled onto his back, and stared up at the ceiling. It was so... boring with out Katara with him. He loved her, he knew he did. And now, he knew she loved him back.

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Mai held herself against the door frame. _Oh God... I can't do this... _She slammed her eyes closed, and slowly slid down until she was on the floor. Zuko was at her side in an instant, stroking the side of her face with his thumb.

"It's okay, calm down. Just relax." He said softly.

"I can't." She tried to yell, but it came out a whisper. It was like a bad dream.

Zuko frowned and wrapped his arms around Mai, cradling her against him.

"I told you, I can tell them if you want." He whispered.

She shook her head,"No!"

Zuko sighed, she really needed to relax. It's not like her parents are going to kill her.

"Come on." He said, pulling her back onto her feet.

"No Zuko I can't-"

And once again, she was taken by surprise by Zuko slamming his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips traveled across her jaw and down her neck, until he was resting against her shoulder blade. He stayed like this for a while until her heart beating slowed, and then he slowly pulled himself away.

"You don't have to do this alone," Zuko whispered, and took her hand in his,"I'll be with you.'' Her eyes were still closed, and she was biting her lip.

"Let's go, the parties starting."


End file.
